James Coley's flip to Miami could have major ramifications on South Florida recruiting

January 24, 2013|By Dieter Kurtenbach, Sun Sentinel

The University of Miami landed their top target on the recruiting trail, but it wasn't a five-star running back or a nationally-elite linebacker.

No, it was Florida State offensive coordinator James Coley, but he might be bringing the five-star running back and the nationally-elite linebacker with him.

Coley accepted the vacant Miami offensive coordinator position Thursday, leaving the Seminoles without their top South Florida recruiter. It's a move that will have not a ripple effect, but rather a tidal wave of impact across the recruiting landscape from Jupiter to Homestead, and it's one that will come into play immediately.

Florida State and Miami fight over many of the same players on the recruiting trail, and Coley can be credited with being a major part of FSU's significant gains in South Florida over recent years. Much of that momentum now has to go to Miami after Al Golden has added two of the best South Florida recruiters in the nation to his staff in Coley and offensive assistant and former FIU coach Mario Cristobal.

Now that Coley has flipped to the rival, there's a strong chance the prospects he's been recruiting flip as well.

Coley's reputation for recruiting Miami's Booker T. Washington High School will follow him. The Tornados have two top prospects, and Coley looked to have them both wrapped up at FSU. Now, five-star linebacker Matthew Thomas and four-star offensive tackle Denver Kirkland will have tougher decisions to make. Both were strongly considering Miami before the move, and it's not a difficult deduction to believe that Coley's move increased the Hurricanes chances to land both players.

Coley has also been involved in the recruitment of Northeast wide receiver Stacy Coley. The speedster is one of the most enigmatic prospects from the Class of 2013, but we do know that Miami was making a late push to pry him from the presumed favorite, Florida State.

Other prospects who could be re-evaluating their recruitment are South Plantation running back Alex Collins, with whom Coley was involved in recruiting, and Boyd Anderson athlete Eddie Jackson, whom Coley was shoring up for the Seminoles in recent weeks.

Also, Booker T. Washington cornerback Michael Johnson, a FSU commit, could be a player interested in defecting as well. His relationship with Coley kept him an FSU commit even after Jimbo Fisher's staff was shaken up.